In the Beginning

1. In the Beginning Genesis 1:1

2. Genesis 1:1 Introduction

3. Genesis 1:1 Introduction • Question: Why is there something rather than nothing? • Alternatively: Why does anything at all exist?

4. Genesis 1:1 Introduction • Question: Why is there something rather than nothing? • Alternatively: Why does anything at all exist? • Answer: Because God, who is eternally self-existent, willed to create the heavens and the earth.

5. Genesis 1:1 Introduction • Question: Why is there something rather than nothing? • Alternatively: Why does anything at all exist? • Answer: Because God, who is eternally self-existent, willed to create the heavens and the earth. • Today we will explore this verse in depth.

6. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

7. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts

8. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • The whole Bible begins with God. • No one seeks to prove his existence. • He is presupposed rather than explained. • We are given no evidence for God’s being, outside the fact that everything else exists and, presumably, came from somewhere. • God is the ultimate “First Cause.”

9. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • The first verse of the Bible is actually a statement which implies God’s eternal self-existence. • God’s self-existence is then consistently maintained throughout Scripture.

10. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • When God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3), he called himself “I Am”. • It is an attribute of God’s very nature to exist. • Existence is one of the his key attributes – not an incidental detail. His existence is necessary. • He cannot cease to exist, nor has he ever not existed. • Being is essential to how he defines himself.

11. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • Smarty pants theological term: aseity (uh-’see-i-tee) • from Latin a se meaning“from oneself” • Webster’s definition of aseity: • the quality or state of being self-derived or self-originated; specifically:  the absolute self-sufficiency, independence, and autonomy of God

12. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • From time to time people will ask, “Who created God?” • This question betrays a misunderstanding. • It may be an innocent misunderstanding, as when a child asks the question. • It may also be a willful misunderstanding, as when someone tries to prove the Bible doesn’t make sense. • Nonetheless, the biblical God is, by definition, uncreated.

13. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • Created gods, in the Bible, are known as “idols” or “false gods” and are expressly forbidden as objects of worship. • The Bible reveals an uncreated God and a created space-time universe populated by a vast number of created beings. • And God, the one true God, created it all.

14. Genesis 1:1 A Few Thoughts • By the way: An eternal, uncreated space-time universe is impossible. • An eternal (infinite) past makes no sense, because it would take an eternity (infinity) to get to the present time. • In other words, we wouldn’t be here yet. • Conclusion: The entire space-time universe had a beginning. • God is the one who began it. • And so time, space, matter and energy all came to be.

15. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe:

16. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • The following views represent something other than the biblical view. • They are not simply extra-biblical (from outside the Bible), they are unbiblical. • That is, they contradict the Bible.

17. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Pantheism:

18. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Pantheism: • God is the universe and the universe is God. • Many traditional religions or philosophies boil down to this. • God is all there is. • Everything is God.

19. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Panentheism:

20. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Panentheism: • God is in the universe and the universe is in God. • (Up to this point, Pantheismwould totally agree, but there is more.)

21. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Panentheism: • God is in the universe and the universe is in God. • (Up to this point, Pantheismwould totally agree, but there is more.) • God is greater than the sum of all the parts of the universe. • God is all there is – and still more than that. • God is all there is – and then some.

22. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Deism:

23. Deficient or inadequate views of God’s relationship to the universe: • Deism: • God and the universe are distinct and disconnected. • God is not deeply involved in the universe. • God created the universeto run on its own. • He put in the batteries, pressed the power button, and stood back to watch from a safe distance. • He may have the ability to intervene in our lives, but chooses not to do so. We are more or less on our own.

24. God’s actual relationship to the universe:

25. God’s actual relationship to the universe: • Theism (the biblical view):

26. God’s actual relationship to the universe: • Theism (the biblical view): • God created the world out of nothing or ex nihilo. • God and the universe are distinct from one another. • (Deism probably agrees up to here.)

27. God’s actual relationship to the universe: • Theism (the biblical view): • God created the world out of nothing or ex nihilo. • God and the universe are distinct from one another. • (Deism probably agrees up to here.) • God, however, chooses to be and remains intimately involved in his created world.

28. God’s actual relationship to the universe: • Theism (the biblical view): • This is most profoundly expressed in the biblical history of salvation and the person and work of Jesus Christ. • God, who had always been attentive to and in relationship with his created world, entered creation at a specific point in a most intimate and eternal way. • The indwelling presence of the Holy Sprit within all true converts to Christ expands on that relationship.

29. The Bible continuously speaks of God as an intimately involved Creator.

30. The Bible continuously speaks of God as an intimately involved Creator. • Exodus 20:11 • 2 Kings 19:15 • 2 Chronicles 2:12 • Psalm 115:15 • Psalm 121:1-2 • Psalm 124:8 • Psalm 134:3

31. The Bible continuously speaks of God as an intimately involved Creator. • Psalm 146:5-6 • Isaiah 37:15-16 • Isaiah 42:5 • Jeremiah 51:15 • Jonah 1:9 • Acts 17:24-26 • Revelation 14:7

32. Implications of God being the Creator

33. Implications of God being the Creator • Creation implies dependence. • Creation implies purpose. • Creation implies complete understanding. • Creation necessitates obedience. • Creation (by an all-wise and entirely loving God) results in compassion toward us in our self-imposed, sorry and self-destructive state.

34. Implications of God being the Creator 1. Creation implies dependence.

35. Implications of God being the Creator 1. Creation implies dependence. • In other words, we could not exist without God both creating and then sustaining us. • We honor him best when we live in full light of this truth. • We dishonor him when we lose sight of it. • Consider Daniel’s reprimand of King Belshazzar of Babylon in Daniel 5:22-23.

36. Implications of God being the Creator 2. Creation implies purpose.

37. Implications of God being the Creator 2. Creation implies purpose. • God had goals or intentions in the act of creation itself. • His overflowing love would be shared outside the Trinity with other created beings who would love him and one another. • He brings happiness and fulfillment to them, which in turn brings glory to him. • God also has goals or intentions for each of us. • We are most blessed by using our God-given capacities and fulfilling our God-given purposes with all our heart.

38. Implications of God being the Creator 3. Creation implies complete understanding.

39. Implications of God being the Creator 3. Creation implies complete understanding. • We don’t always understand one another. • We will never exhaustively understand God. • But he, as our Creator, has a complete, in-depth understanding of each of us as individuals. • His plans for us are intimately connected with such knowledge. • See Jeremiah 1:4-5.

40. Implications of God being the Creator 4. Creation necessitates obedience.

41. Implications of God being the Creator 4. Creation necessitates obedience. • Perfect obedience is a debt that we owe rather than something which earns us merit in God’s eyes. • Imperfect obedience (partial disobedience) cannot merit a reward, much less an infinite or eternal reward. • The landlord will not reward you for oftenpaying the rent. • The grocery store will not reward you for usuallypaying your bill before leaving.

42. Implications of God being the Creator 4. Creation necessitates obedience. • Still, obedience is, in a sense, its own reward, as it enables us to live most safely and productively in God’s world. • We benefit by keeping our bills paid. • God owes us nothing, but has decided to give us everything – potentially.

43. Implications of God being the Creator 4. Creation necessitates obedience. • We owe God everything and have decided to give him only what we deem fair, right or convenient – as if our perspective could be clearer on this than his. • This is what is wrong with the universe. • Disobedience in such a case is unrecoverable by us. • How many times does the plane have to crash before we are willing to call it a catastrophe?

44. Implications of God being the Creator 5. Creation (by an all-wise and entirely loving God) results in compassion toward us in our self-imposed, sorry, self-destructive state.

45. Implications of God being the Creator 5. Creation (by an all-wise and entirely loving God) results in compassion toward us in our self-imposed, sorry, self-destructive state. • God’s plan of redemption reveals his character in ways that creation does not. • See John 1:1-18.

46. Implications of God being the Creator 5. Creation (by an all-wise and entirely loving God) results in compassion toward us in our self-imposed, sorry, self-destructive state. • By receiving Christ, we receive the grace of God which is more than able to compensate for all of our sins. • By receiving Christ, we enter into an eternally restored relationship with our Creator, the one who made the very world. • By receiving Christ we become part of the family of God.

47. Implications of God being the Creator • Creation implies dependence. • Creation implies purpose. • Creation implies complete understanding. • Creation necessitates obedience. • Creation (by an all-wise and entirely loving God) results in compassion toward us in our self-imposed, sorry and self-destructive state.